MauiTime Best of Maui 2014: Best Ukulele Shop Mele Ukulele

So not long ago I bought a ‘ukulele. Nothing serious of fancy (though it is blue and triangular)–just a starter deal that isn’t a toy you’d find at Wal-Mart. Anyway, a friend who shall remain nameless stopped by started strumming it. “It’s strung wrong,” he said. He knew guitars, and me not knowing much about ‘ukes, let him “fix” it. Not long after I took it out to strum it, and I suddenly had two loose strings on my hands and my friend was nowhere in sight. Though I hadn’t bought it at Mele, I took it to them. Turns out, as I expected, it had been strung correctly the first time. They fixed it for free, and wouldn’t even accept a small gratuity. “Just come back when you want to buy a real ‘ukulele,” they said. I looked around at the gorgeous instruments on the walls, and quickly agreed. 1750 Ka‘ahumanu Ave., Wailuku; 808-244-3938; Meleukulele.com. @apignataro